Creating wellness

Health-focused expo planned for coming month

December 26, 2011

Be fit, eat right, think well, is a mantra for creating wellness. And for anyone looking for tools and resources to achieve a healthier lifestyle, the Creating Wellness Expo is for you.

The main goal of the Creating Wellness Expo is to expose everyone to health and wellness through the three dimensions of health: physical, chemical and emotional, or more simply put: Be fit. Eat right. Think well. "Just as important, to realize that we have everything we need for sustainable wellness ... right in our own back yard," said Staci Borkhuis, a Minot-based chiropractor with CornerStone Chiropractic, one of 300 Creating Wellness centers in the world.

"Most people aren't aware that there are resources to help families live a healthier lifestyle," she said, stating that most people end up by default, subscribing to the "sick-care system" and seek medical services only after they become sick, injured or experience health decline. Borkhuis insists there are proactive ways to keep healthy. The Creating Wellness centers provide the resources, services and support to enhance the health of individuals and families through a more proactive approach to overall health.

"For so many people, they might be exercising regularly and eating healthy, but if they are stressed out and have difficulty juggling all of their responsibilities and managing their time, and that can be sabotaging their overall health," Borkhuis said. There are three types of stress that Creating Wellness centers address: physical, chemical and emotional, all of which have positive and negative stressors. With that in mind, it is important to address the three-dimension approach of "be fit, eat right, think well."

The expo, which is targeted to "families that are looking for a better way of living, ways to enhance their families' health and happiness in ways that are natural," will have different speakers talking about different health-related topics.

Vendor spots are available for businesses or organizations that "fall in line with the mission and purpose of the expo itself," Borkhuis said. "It's meant to give people a resource to live a happier and healthier life."

Admission to the expo is $5 for adults and free for children. All proceeds will go to support the local chapter of Habitat For Humanity.

"Most Creating Wellness centers participate with local non-profit organizations," Borkhuis said. "For us, we want to support an important organization that is local. I've participated with Habitat For Humanity in the past, and their mission and purpose is very relevant for our community right now, considering the work they're doing post-flood. It's something we can support and see first-hand that it's helping local families. We want to make sure we are impacting lives in a positive way through all we do. Our purpose is to inspire a culture of healthy, excited and passionate individuals who are living the life of their dreams, and take their health to the next level."

The expo will be held at the Sleep Inn on Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.